Grandma Katie's Famous Bread

This blog post is dedicated to Katy, the bread maker extraordinaire. I am sad that you passed before we really got a chance to know each other and bake together. I hope my bread from your recipe taste's half as good as yours did! Katie used a 10 lb bag of flour, I make half a recipe. I am related to her via my husband's family. I think after making it for years, I have mastered the recipe!

Tip: this makes ALOT of bread, and will take you all day to do, so start early! It freezes extremely well and tastes like nothing else you have ever eaten!

This is the Half Recipe Version

This half batch requires one 5-pound bag of pre-sifted flour, Gold Medal “Better for Bread” flour is recommended

¼ cup, plus ½ of a ¼ c or 1/8 cup Warm Water
1 & 1/2 tsp Sugar
1 packet RED STAR YEAST (not the quick rise kind)

**Make sure that you blend in a container which will hold at least 10 cups for expansion**

In a Separate Bowl

4 Eggs (Room temp should be fairly warm 75 to 80 degrees)
4 tsp Salt
(3) ¼ cups Sugar
½ of ¼ cup Sugar or 1/8 cup

Blend, in 3rd Bowl (Very Large)

4 cup Hot Water
1 cup Butter flavored Crisco (melt it in microwave)
1 12 oz can Evaporated Milk (add the whole can)
Mix Well

Mix all three bowls of ingredients together and slowly add ½ a bag of the flour. I use my Kitchenaide Mixer with the dough hook, then transfer to a board for the final kneading. Katie did it all by hand.

Knead the dough until it is no longer sticky, adding more flour if necessary

After kneading the dough, grease the rising pans or bowls with the butter flavored Crisco or pan spray. Place the dough in the pan and lightly grease the top of the dough, so it will not dry out during the rising process, then cover with a towel or wax paper. *I use 2 large bowls*

TIP: after making this a million times, I found that if you put the bread in the oven with light on, it generates enough heat to help your dough rise.

Let rise twice, beating down in-between each rising. For the final rise, shape into loaves or rolls, lightly grease the baking pans and let rise one last time until they have doubled in volume. *this takes every pan I own*

Original recipe says to bake in a 280 to 300 degree oven for 45 minutes for Loaves and 30 minutes for Buns. I found that a 325 oven for 30 minutes works just as well. Take out when golden brown and brush with melted butter if you wish.

p.s. thank you so much Pam at For The Love Of Cooking (and my next door neighbor), she actually took the last two and best photo's)